By Brock Sisney (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
WEBB CITY — The Nevada Tigers broke on through for their first district title since 1998 by defeating the Webb City Cardinals 52-49 Friday night at the Cardinal Dome.
The Tigers had been knocking loudly on the door the previous four seasons, with teams that combined for 84 wins overall but still fell short of that elusive district title.
“That makes it that much sweeter,” Nevada head coach Shaun Gray said for a team led by four seniors. “These guys have been a part of some really good teams and we’ve got some college players that weren’t able to break through. This is a program win. In our gym, there’s obviously the banners on the wall — 1998 was the last time Nevada won a district championship. Twenty-three years, there’s been a lot of good basketball players come through in those 23 years. Our entire community is excited about this one.”
At times Friday night, it definitely seemed like Nevada’s entire community had showed up inside the Cardinal Dome for the biggest game of the season thus far.
“The Nevada faithful showed up tonight,” Gray said. “In a season when fans weren’t allowed to come very often, people we haven’t seen all year came tonight. There were times tonight I thought both sides had this place absolutely rocking.”
The Class 5 District 12 title game featured one play in particular that will be talked about for many years: Nevada standout senior guard Logan Applegate broke a 44-all score late in the fourth quarter with a steal and breakaway two-handed slam dunk.
“The heart they showed when the going got tough and the waters got choppy,” Gray said. “We didn’t falter and we stayed together. There were times when Webb City was beating us up on the glass, it would have been kinda easy to duck our tails and run, but the kids kept coming and Logan Applegate, you can’t say enough about the type of player that he is to come up with that steal when the game’s tied. That was the absolute tipping point of the game.”
The Tigers then made just enough free throws down the stretch to hold on for the victory and the Cardinals saw three players — Kaden Turner, Cohl Vaden, and Mekhi Garrard — foul out in the final 91 seconds.
Meanwhile, Nevada’s Applegate and Ben Hines played through four personal fouls.
“Both teams are very physical,” Gray said. “Both teams attack the basket. When certain players get in foul trouble, as a coach, you want to attack those guys because they’re either going to continue to be physical and get in foul trouble or they’re not going to be as physical and you’re able to maybe get some better looks that you wouldn’t have gotten otherwise. (Hines, Applegate) had four early in the fourth quarter and to get through the game without (fouling out) was heady. That’s what seniors do, though, they play smart.”
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Nevada maintained a free throw advantage all night on Webb City — especially during a first half that saw Nevada attempt 10 free throws (and make nine) and Webb City attempt none. In fact, the Cardinals did not attempt their first free throw until 5:36 of the third quarter.
“Logan Applegate played really well,” Webb City head coach Jason Horn said. “They played well. They executed well. The big difference is they were able to get to the free throw line and make free throws. We got to the line there late and had a chance to take the lead, just didn’t follow through and make shots.
“(Foul trouble) was huge, but we were fouling. We had to do a better job of keeping our hands off. If you give them free points, they’re going to make you pay, they’re a good team.”
Applegate scored a game-high 29 points and his night included 13-16 from the line. He also grabbed six rebounds, dished off a pair of assists, and made two steals, including the decisive one that led to Nevada regaining and never surrendering the lead.
Hines added 14 points, Case Sanderson came off the bench for six, and Logan McNeley led the Tigers with eight rebounds and three steals to go with his three points and two assists. Fourth senior Lane McNeley had three rebounds and one steal, but all the Tigers and their fans have one night to always remember.
Nevada improved to 21-5 on the season and the Tigers host a sectional contest Tuesday night against District 11 champion and fellow 20-win team Rogersville (20-5).
Nevada and Webb City split two games earlier in the season — Webb City won 65-55 on Jan. 7 in the Kaminsky Classic and Nevada won 51-50 16 days later in the Frontenac (Kan.) Shootout. Needless to say, the game pace Friday favored Nevada.
“Webb City doesn’t lose very often when the score’s up in the mid-60s and 70s,” Gray said. “On the flip side, we have a lot of success when we hold our opponents in the 40s. It’s no secret that’s what we needed to do. Our half-court defense was really good, our transition defense was good, and we took care of the basketball. The one area where we weren’t good, that allowed Webb City to have a lead early and stay in the game late, was rebounding. They are ferocious attacking the glass and we got just enough rebounds late in the game to hold on for the win.”
Webb City killed Nevada on the glass, outrebounding the Tigers 40-21 overall, highlighted by 19 offensive rebounds. As a result of so many offensive boards, Webb City attempted 23 more field goals (55-32) on the evening.
On a night when the Cardinals shot 19-55 (34.5 percent) overall from the field, at least one player found the shooting groove to keep them within reach — senior Trenton Hayes, who drained four 3-point shots en route to a team-high 16 points.
“Great shooter and just an intelligent kid,” Horn said of Hayes. “We coached him hard all year and there were high expectations for him. He rose up and played big in a big game, and kept us in the game.”
Webb City seniors Hayes, Garrard, Nickhai Howard, and Luke Brumit each played their final high school games.
“We’re proud of them and seen them grow,” Horn said. “I’ve been here five years and had them from eighth grade until now. I’m proud of the work they’ve put in and a couple of those guys (Hayes, Brumit) are classic examples of just sticking it out, working hard for your turn, and they really brought it big. Nickhai proved this year that he’s one of the best players in the area and Garrard’s a tremendous athlete and a good defender. They were a good class. They’ve been in this game four straight years, so that says a lot about them.”
Webb City won district titles during the previous two seasons. The Cardinals finished this season with 18 wins, their most in the last five.
